Bird Tables

The quickest and easiest way to attract birds into your garden is to put out food for them through winter and early spring. This is when natural food becomes scarce and many birds depend on food put out in gardens. Many different sorts of bird visit gardens for food in winter. Which ones you see will depend on where you live.

A bird table gives you a clear view and offers birds some protection from cats. Try to place it in the open but not too far from a hedge or bush. This means the birds can make a quick dive for safety if danger threatens. You are more likely to see shy birds such as blackcaps, which do not usually stray far from cover.

When to feed

It is really up to you when you feed the birds - but there are one or two guidelines that it makes sense to follow:

Spring and summer: You can feed birds during spring and summer. Use peanuts only if they are in a mesh container, from which only the smallest pieces can be taken. During a drought you can help blackbirds and thrushes by putting out soft food such as fruit and grated cheese.

Autumn and winter: Once you start feeding, continue through the winter. The food you put out becomes steadily more important as the winter progresses as seeds, fruit and insects become hard to find. Many birds are creatures of habit and will make a special visit to your bird table once they learn there is food there. When the weather is really bad, a wasted journey to your empty bird table will make life even harder for them.

Birds use up their stores of food very quickly, turning it into energy to keep warm. In winter there are two critical times of day for them. Last thing at night they need to eat enough food to keep them going until dawn. First thing in the morning they must find food quickly, as their reserves have been used up during the long night. Try to ensure that there is food available at these two important times, but if this is difficult, then feeding early in the morning is best. Experiment with different foods, blackbirds, thrushes and robins benefit from apples and pears cut in half, particularly when the ground is hard.

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